Palaces for the People – Creating spaces that are accessible to all
During the pandemic, I stumbled upon a great book by Eric Klinenberg called Palaces for the People.
Eric, a sociologist and scholar in urban studies, culture and media, argues for the importance of
rebuilding social infrastructure to help to heal divisions in society and establish a more unified and
fair culture.
This book, while compelling and entertaining really got me thinking about the great public spaces
and services that are available to us within the city of Chichester and how the pandemic really
highlighted the importance of a sense of ownership by the community and for the community. It was
inspiring to see how businesses leapt into action delivering meals to those who were shielding and
local charities adapted to contact-free solutions to help feed struggling families.
I was amazed by the dedication of the staff at Chichester District Council and Chichester BID to
ensure that small businesses were aware of the financial support available to them during those
uneasy periods of lockdown and how libraries in West Sussex continued in creative and innovative
ways to ensure their members had access to the books that got them through the isolation. It also
gave me great comfort to witness our churches adjust their approach to technology to take worship
into the homes of the isolating congregation and find ways to come together and continue to
celebrate life events in inventive ways.
Now that the world has returned to “normal” and we face new challenges as a community, I hope
that we hold on to that communal spirit that unified us during lockdown and remember that the
strength of a society is not in what we can take from it, but in how we as businesses, individuals and
organisations contribute our skills and resources to it where we can.
Amy Sim is the Head of Operations at Chichester Cathedral and sits on the Board of Directors at Chichester BID